Fever
by potterheadedgleek22
Summary: Tony is sick with a bad fever but trying to work through it for Pepper's sake. When she finds out during a particularly horrible meeting, she makes him take a break and cares for him. Adorable fluffiness ensues. Will probably be a two-or-three parter. Written because of major Pepperony feels. Rated for safety. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I shouldn't even be doing this. But I am. I wanted to try my hand at writing some Pepperony now, since I have such a good time with anything and everything Tony Stark... so here goes nothing! It's gonna end up being pretty short.**

**Spoilers: Nope**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man and do profit by doing this. Anything recognizable is not mine. Except the plot of course!**

**Movieverse, takes place between Iron Man 2 and Avengers. Established Pepper/Tony.**

**Enjoy!**

Pepper Potts could honestly say that, in all her years of working for Tony Stark, she'd never seen him quite like this. He was sitting across the way from her in a crowded conference room at a meeting that was teeming with angry foreigners. Pepper had practically had to drag him to this one, pleading with him that there was no chance she'd be able to smooth it over if the genius didn't show up this time. But she was starting to regret making him come. He looked dazed, worlds away, and frankly, ready to pass out. Not being able to speak to him from her position but with the perfect angle to eye him and try and deduce what the problem was, she studied him anxiously and discreetly. He was pale, which was unusual, and sweaty though the air conditioning was blasting inside the cramped conference room. His expression was vague and glassy, which Pepper wouldn't have noticed to be a problem if it weren't for how bloodshot they were and framed with dark circles of exhaustion, as Tony frequently took on that very expression during particularly boring meetings. However, there was something different about the look this time. It looked like he was in physical pain and actually struggling. He was fighting a losing battle within himself, it seemed, by the looks of panic or intense effort and concentration that crossed his face for several fleeting seconds before he was able to regain his self-control and bring back his blank expression.

Across the way, Tony was feeling – there was no better way to put it – absolutely miserable. He had told Pepper he didn't want to come, but she was persistent and so here he was. He was hot, too hot. The room was too loud and crowded. He had a headache the size of Detroit that he was fairly certain no amount of aspirin would kill, made worse each second thanks to the shouting and babbling in multiple languages that the translators were stubbornly refusing to translate for him. He was feeling lightheaded, as if he couldn't get enough air in his lungs, and it was making him dizzy. It was certainly good he was sitting down. The room was spinning around him, causing his stomach to lurch painfully, but still he powered through. He was feeling detached, only coming to his senses when he felt the urge to sneeze or cough. Those urges he fought off valiantly. He wasn't sick. He couldn't be sick. He didn't _get_ sick. To be sick was to be weak and vulnerable, and Tony Stark was anything but.

He tried to concentrate, to master himself. Sitting in the same position was really causing him pain. He felt stiff and sore. All he really wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed to sleep this off, but there was work to be done and sleep was not an option right now. His head was heavy, and it felt like he was trying to think through a thousand pounds of cotton.

Pepper took control of the situation then, as she was well-accustomed to doing. She could tell just by looking that something was off with her boss and boyfriend, even though no one else in the room seemed to notice. They were all too angry about this or that, talking too fast and in languages Pepper did not know and had no desire to learn. She swept a few wayward hairs out of her face and stood up, addressing all the businessmen in the room.

"Gentlemen," she said, her natural poise, confidence, and politeness coming through. "Please, let's step away from the situation for a moment and come back when we're all a little calmer." The translators relayed this message feverishly, thanking her with their eyes as the din finally settled down. "Let's take a fifteen minute break and meet back here. I'm sure we will come to a solution that makes everybody happy." Once they received the message, they all nodded and stood, grumbling a little before disappearing out into the corridor. Tony was no exception. He filed out with the rest of them, not meeting Pepper's gaze. She had expected this, however, and left her belongings in the conference room, getting up and following him at a comfortable distance.

He rounded a few corners until he came upon a deserted corridor. He backed up against the wall, shrugging out of his suit jacket and loosening his tie. He undid the top two buttons of his shirt and slid down against the wall until he was sitting on the cold tile floors. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head on crossed wrists against his thighs. His chest was heaving and his shirt was soaked through with sweat. Pepper watched him for a little bit from behind the corner, giving him a few moments alone to compose himself before stepping away from the wall and going to stand beside him.

"Tony?" She asked, gently so as not to frighten him. At the sound of his name, he looked up at her. The reaction was almost immediate. He heard his name, and his head snapped up, regardless of how he was feeling. It always happened this way when she called. She had asked him about it a while ago. He had claimed it was a reflex that had come from his parents, but she secretly believed that the habit had actually come from her calling him so often.

"Hey, Pep," he said softly, and his voice was a bit hoarse. "Thanks for taking charge in there."

"Someone had to," she said dismissively, squatting down beside him. "Are you alright?" She asked. From this vantage point, he looked worse than she had previously thought. "You don't look well."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "It's probably just a hangover." A small smile played at her lips.

"A hangover?" She repeated. "Knowing how you are, that actually might have convinced me. You know, had we not fallen asleep cuddling on the couch last night while watching Disney movies. You definitely weren't drinking. I would know." That had been a feeble attempt to lie, especially for Tony who seemed to have perfected the trade over the years.

"I'm fine, Pep, really," he said, not wanting to seem so weak, in front of her especially. "It was just really hot in there. I'll be alright." She frowned, knowing he was totally full of it, and pressed her palm to his forehead. Involuntarily, he leaned into her cool touch.

"You're burning up," she murmured. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well? I wouldn't have made you come if I'd have known."

"You didn't ask," he pointed out. "And I'm feeling fine…." He broke off as a coughing fit decided to attack him by surprise at that exact moment. The coughs were wet and wrenching, jolting him forward with their force. Pepper patted him gently on the back until they finally stopped.

"It's really hot," he moaned, pulling on his shirtfront repeatedly, trying to generate a breeze.

"You need to be home," she said worriedly. "In bed. Here… wait here for just a second." As if he was going to go anywhere, he thought as she disappeared around the corner, only to return moments later with a wet paper towel. She knelt back down beside him and used it to gently mop the sweat off his brow and cool down his head and neck a little. He leaned toward the gentle caresses of the towel, silently begging for more.

"I wish I had brought my other purse," she said wistfully, almost to herself. "I have a thermometer in there."

"You keep a thermometer in your purse?" He asked, and she couldn't help but wince at how rough his voice sounded and how much his words were slurring together.

"Yes," she said defensively. "For situations such as these."

"Scout Pepper," he teased. "Always prepared." She blushed.

"Shut up," she said, standing and smoothing out her skirt. "Listen, I'm going to go back in there and let them know something came up and we'll have to reschedule. They're not going to be too happy, but there's no way I'm letting you go back in there." She delivered a gentle kiss to his brow. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

The businessmen noticed Tony's absence right away. Pepper tried to smooth it over with them, saying that something came up and that Tony would be happy to reschedule the meeting at their earliest convenience. After a little more angry babbling, it was agreed that they'd all meet again in a week. Pepper thanked them all. Ten minutes later, she stood on the curb with Tony by her side, trying to hail a taxi.

"I'd get Happy to drive," she explained, putting her arm down as one pulled up. "But you need to get home now." She opened the door and got in behind him before telling the cabbie, "Stark Tower please."

They were sitting close, ignoring seatbelts and basically everything else around them. Tony's right side was pressed up against Pepper's left, and his body was like a furnace, burning away. His head nuzzled against her cool neck and he kept his eyes closed, trying to head off the nausea that came from riding in the back of a car while sick. Pepper snaked her arm around the back of his neck and gently stroked his hair, silently willing the cab driver to go faster. She felt her skin becoming sticky and hot where he leaned against her, but she didn't care. Her mind was reeling and she just kept asking herself the same question: how had he gotten so sick so quickly?

Finally, after what felt like forever and a day but was really only a few minutes, the cab pulled up in front of Stark Tower. Pepper shoved a few bills at him and got out of the car. As the driver merged back into the crawling New York City traffic, Tony stumbled over the curb. Pepper instinctively reached out and caught his arm, gripping his bicep, feeling the muscle trembling slightly under her hand.

"Come on," she said. "Lean on me." He did so reluctantly, realizing in this state he had few other options, and they finally made it into the tower, albeit slowly. Pepper didn't even have to tell him and Tony was already off to his room to change. As soon as he removed his shirt, the cool air in the room caressed his bare skin and made him shiver violently. Worse, it was a shiver he couldn't get under control or stop. He quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and crawled under the thick covers, shaking with violent chills. As soon as his head hit the pillow, a little bit of the ache within it subsided and he realized just how tired he was. Although he was unable to get warm, he was almost asleep in the few seconds between climbing into bed and Pepper entering the room. She was carrying a water bottle, a bottle of Tylenol, and a thermometer from the bathroom.

"JARVIS, low lights please," she said. The AI responded by turning the bulbs up a little. In the dim lighting, Pepper went to Tony's bedside, setting the medicine and water down. "Tony, don't fall asleep on me just yet, okay?" She said worriedly, holding the thermometer out to him.

"Open," she said gently. Tony groaned.

"Pep, we already know I'm sick. Why do you have to-" but he was cut off by the cold metal of the thermometer being slipped under his unsuspecting tongue.

"Shush, you," Pepper chastised, pinching his lips shut with her slender fingers. "Just because you're sick doesn't mean you shouldn't have your temperature monitored. You definitely have a bad fever." He began to make muffled noises through his closed lips. Pepper sighed, and upon hearing the beep, released her hold on his mouth and plucked the device from under his tongue. She gasped aloud when she saw what the readout was. One hand flew protectively to Tony's shoulder.

"You could have just had JARVIS do the scan," he muttered, making strange faces for a second until the tingling sensation from her fingers left his lips. He noticed her concern then and looked up at her, straining to see her face from where he was lying. "What?"

"You're really sick," she mumbled, still staring at the little LED screen and willing it to say anything else.

"Yeah, I could have told you that," he groaned, shutting his eyes. Apparently he was well enough to still be snarky. "I was asking what my body temperature is since I currently feel like I'm sitting inside a fire."

"It's one hundred and three point five," she said softly, her hand moving distractedly to his face, where she pushed the sweaty bangs out of his eyes with tenderness. Her fingertips burned on contact with his skin. Tony moaned softly and involuntarily, her touch comforting him.

"Let's get some medicine into you," she said with one final caress. She took the bottle of Tylenol from the nightstand and uncapped it, shaking two into her upturned palm. She pressed the pills into his hand and uncapped the bottle of water, but Tony had already sat up in bed and dry swallowed them before she could hand it to him.

"Tony," she said, shaking her head. "Here, drink this." She handed him the bottle. "So impatient… I'm sure that didn't feel too good on your throat." He shrugged, sipping from the bottle gingerly and wincing as it went down.

"It's fine," he lied, feeling his throat burn as though he'd coated it in acid. The water also made him nauseas, his stomach lurching painfully. He handed her the bottle back and slid back down, his head hitting the pillow. He was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. Pepper set the bottle down and looked at him. His hair was like a dark stain on the pillow, his face white as a sheet and shiny with sweat. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes ringed by shadows. She gently touched his warm cheek.

"Rest," she said. "You'll feel better. Is there anything else you need?" He reached up, his eyes opening slightly, and caught her hand, holding it against his face.

"Yes," he murmured. "Stay with me?" She blushed, smiling.

"Sure," she said. "I wasn't going to leave anyway. I'm just going to grab something and I'll be right back." He nodded and released her hand. She stole silently from the room to the bathroom and ran a washcloth under the cold tap. She wrung it out when it was chilly enough and brought it back to his bedroom. He had scooted over to make room for her, and so she perched on the edge of his bed and pressed the cool cloth against his brow. The cold touch immediately caused his teeth to chatter audibly and his shivering to pick up in intensity.

"It's cold," he complained weakly.

"Shh," she said, the soothing sound coming out of her mouth before she had become fully aware of it. "It'll help you feel better. Just relax, Tony." And with that, she gently skimmed the sweat from his forehead and let the cloth rest there. He could feel the rag leeching the heat from his skin. She was right: it did make him feel marginally better. But that was nothing compared to what her presence in the room did for him. He found himself nodding off, feeling safe and comfortable in her care. Gentle hands explored his cheek in the form of soft caresses designed for the sole purpose of lulling him and calming him past the rage of fever.

Pepper was quiet and rhythmic with her caressing. A few low, rumbling coughs came from Tony, but past that, he too was quiet. She listened patiently as his breathing evened out and he finally dozed off, shivering slightly. She smiled. He looked so much younger when he slept, so much more peaceful. She watched him, feeling a little bit creepy for doing so. But it was such a beautiful sight. She smoothed the blankets around him to help warm him.

"JARVIS, lights out," she whispered. The AI was smart enough to not respond and simply did so, and Pepper lied down beside Tony and ran her fingers through his hair until she too was asleep.

* * *

**A/N: So that's part one. Let me know if I should continue or if I shouldn't even bother. Reviews are lovely and wonderful and I appreciate them immensely. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!**

**~PG22**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi all! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This next chapter is for you, as it wasn't supposed to happen. I think there will be at least one more part based on how it's looking. I hope you all enjoy! Usual disclaimers apply. **

* * *

He watched Hammer drag Pepper off, bound in duct tape, from his clear, Hulk-proof walled, SHIELD-approved prison. Helplessly trapped, he could only watch in horror as the Afghani creeps that had held him captive for over three months brought her to her knees and fired from all sides, weapons marked with the tag "Stark Industries." Pepper, immobilized by Obadiah's inhumane paralysis device, didn't even utter a sound as she died.

Tony shot up in bed, a strangled half-scream, half sob ripping itself roughly from his chest. He didn't even realize he was crying until he instinctively brought his fist to his mouth and grazed the moisture caused by two long trails of tears sliding down his cheeks. He bit down hard to keep from screaming anymore, trying to reassure himself it was just a nightmare and not wake Pepper up.

He was shaking, his chest heaving, and his body quivered as he fought the urge to scream again. Sweat trickled down his back and caused him to shiver violently. But worst were the tears, which refused to stop even after he had realized Pepper's warmth had never once, since all this hazy confusion had started, left his side. His coughing started up again, but he hardly noticed the pain anymore, his terror too extreme.

Why had the nightmares returned, he wondered? Why now, why with such intensity? He thought he'd recovered from the incident in Afghanistan and that trip to space. But this was not PTSD – he knew that feeling. This was something different entirely. This was fear – true, undiluted fear. He was afraid to lose her, afraid of her dying because of him. This thought only made him feel worse.

"Tony?" Pepper asked softly, sitting up and glancing over at him. He was shaking like a leaf, his face buried in his hands, droplets of sweat glistening on his upper body. She laid her hand comfortingly in between his shoulder blades. The heat radiating off him was incredible. "Everything okay?" She asked him gently. He nodded but didn't remove his hands from his face.

Tears, hot, salty tears, slid down his cheeks and open palms, trickling down his inner wrists. He could not let her see what a little fever was doing to him, and he fought hard to get a grip. Pepper scooted closer and wrapped her arm around his shoulders sympathetically. She felt the rapid pumping of his frantic heart and felt her own heart break at his ragged breathing. He was going to start hyperventilating if he didn't get a grip.

"Shh," Pepper said gently, pulling him close to her despite his uncomfortable heat. He scrubbed at his eyes furiously, an embarrassed flush staining his cheeks. He rested his head against her shoulder and her hand found his forehead. The skin was burning hot and slick with sweat. She pushed the dampened bangs back with slender, practiced fingers. "It's alright. Did you have a nightmare?" Tony nodded, sniffling. He had a handle on himself now, he was sure of that. The tears had finally stopped falling.

They sat like that for a while, silent but for Tony's sniffling and occasional coughs. Pepper's hands calmly found little ways to soothe the ill hero. Her fingers played with his damp fringe, raking through his unkempt hair lovingly. Her other hand found his, and their fingers intertwined. She pulled him still closer, trying to ease his shivering, as her thumb rubbed small circles into the back of his hand. Finally, she spoke up.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

It was so simple a question. But it was more than what it seemed. It was an invitation for the proud scientist to let her in and let her help. He often hid his true emotions from her, especially now that they were starting to experiment with the dating situation. She wanted to be able to be there for him, in good times and in bad, if he would only let her know how things were affecting him. But, as she expected, the stubborn Tony Stark shook his head against her shoulder. She couldn't know about this dream, he told himself. She'd see him as weak and vulnerable and worse, it was an uncharacteristically sappy thing for him to be frightened by a dream about her, for him to admit aloud that his biggest unconscious fear was her dying.

Pepper sighed, resignedly accepting the fact that Tony was too proud to ever speak his true feelings. But out of respect for his privacy, she let it go.

"It's just the fever," she said gently, her hand coming to rest on his forehead once more, her thumb gently rubbing circles along his hairline. "Your mind is making up all sorts of crazy things because of it. I'm right here. It's okay." Tony concentrated now on getting his rapid and ragged breathing under control. Eventually she pulled him down onto the pillow and propped herself up on her elbow, comfortingly running her fingers through his hair. She had accepted the fact that he wasn't going to ask her for help, so she decided to give him whatever comfort she could whether he asked or not.

"Sleep," she murmured, winding her arms around him. He rested his head against her chest, closing his eyes and breathing in her sweet scent. He'd deny ever seeking her out like this the second he was feeling better if she ever brought it up again, but right now it felt good, so good, to feel her arms around him. Soon, he was able to fall asleep again pressed up against her.

Pepper stayed awake far longer than necessary, feeling Tony's heart beat against her and his cold, puffing breath against her shirt. Her heart was aching for him. He was so sick, so out of it. He'd lost all his pride, curled up shamelessly in her arms. She realized he'd never sought her out like that before, and even though he was feverish and foggy, she was still pleased. He was so vulnerable this way. Pepper found it both heartbreaking and endearing.

She eventually fell asleep again only to be awakened early in the morning by an all-too familiar sound. It happened every time Tony went on a drinking binge, only now it was happening for a different reason. Pepper sat up in bed and realized she was sitting in a pool of sweat. His fever must have broken in the night, she realized. She walked around to the bathroom where she saw something that made her heart break completely. Tony was curled up, his arms wrapped around his bare torso as he shivered and shook. He hovered near to the toilet bowl, his eyes dull and glassy and framed in exhausted shadows.

_My God, he's really sick_, she thought to herself.

"Hey, Pep," he croaked, trying his best to sound normal but failing. His voice was hoarse and feeble, weak and airy. Talking made his head and throat hurt and aggravated his nausea, so he closed his mouth tightly. Pepper knelt down beside him, taking a washcloth off the towel rack, moistening it with water, and wiping his mouth with it.

"How long have you been up?" She demanded, trying to be as gentle as she could but failing thanks to her worry.

"'Bout an hour," he said, his words slurring together. She felt his forehead. Though he seemed to have broken his fever in the night, his head was once again hot as an oven. She gritted her teeth anxiously.

"How many times have you-" She asked awkwardly.

"Like three," he said. "But I'm dizzy and didn't want to move."

"It's okay," Pepper told him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. The floor is not the place to be right now while you're sick." She helped support him and get him to his feet. He leaned heavily against her, groaning as his stomach ached in protest. She helped him back to bed, where he curled up under the covers.

"Kill me now, Pepper," he moaned softly.

"Shush," she said, tucking the blankets tighter around his body. "You'll be fine."

But he wasn't fine. A few seconds later, he was back in the bathroom getting sick again. Pepper stayed by his side and rubbed small circles into his lower back until it was over.

"How do you feel?" She asked worriedly, biting her lip.

"Awful," he said softly. His head felt light. He could tell something was very off with him. His stomach had long since lost its contents. The only thing coming up now was bile and water, which burned. But four times in the same hour just for that was not a good thing.

Pepper knew this too. After he had gotten himself cleaned up, she helped him back to bed and went down to the kitchen where she got a bowl of ice chips and a glass of ginger ale. Her main concern now was that he'd become dehydrated. She brought the liquids up to the bedroom only to find Tony curled in on himself, trembling, his lips clamped tightly together. He was no doubt trying to fight off the urge to throw up again. Pepper grabbed a trash can out of the bathroom and brought it to the bedside, just in case. She then rested a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay, Tony," she reassured him. "If you have to be sick, go ahead." He shook his head desperately, as if he was trying not only to tell her no, but also to tell his body no.

"I'm… _hisshhhh_! I'm fine. I'm not going to… to…," he started, but trailed off, his focus brought solely to holding off the nausea then.

"Shh," Pepper said, pressing a kiss to his overheated forehead. "I got it." He nodded, his eyes watering slightly, his lips closed so tightly they turned white. She pushed back his sweaty bangs and perched on the bed.

"Want to try some ginger ale?" She asked after a time. He closed his eyes wearily and shook his head weakly.

"It'll settle your stomach," she coaxed. He looked up at her with those vulnerable, puppy-dog eyes and made her heart melt into a puddle in her chest. Damn it, she thought. Damn him for being so adorable like this.

"Can't," he murmured feebly. "Hurts." He was tugging at her heartstrings, she mused. He needed to keep hydrated or they were going to have more problems than ever. His body was slicked with sweat and he shivered convulsively. She didn't know how, since he hadn't taken in any liquids and had just lost his stomach contents four times in the last hour. Carefully, she slid his pillow upward, propping him against the headboard.

"I know," she said gently. "Come on. Lean back." She eased him up. He was limp, void of energy. The only reason he was able to remain upright was her hand on his chest, supporting him. She grabbed the glass of ginger ale off the bedside table and pressed it to his lips. "Just one sip, that's all I ask." He kept his eyes on her. They were so full of suffering and hurt. Pepper almost backed off. But then, slowly, reluctantly, he took a gentle sip. For a moment, the carbonated liquid did make his stomach feel marginally better. He took a second sip and a third before carefully pulling away from her, shaking his head.

"Good," she praised. "Thank you, Tony." She set the glass down. "Feel a little better?"

He nodded, his eyes sliding closed. A second later, he jolted, moaned, whimpered, and curled in on himself as best he could, hands clutching his torso tightly. Pepper felt a pang in her heart. Her hand instantly moved to his back to try and comfort him. She began to rub his back slowly and softly.

"It's okay," she soothed. "It's going to be okay." She bit her lip. This was worse than she thought.

* * *

**A/N: So that's all for now. As always, please let me know what you think! And I love suggestions so bring them on! Thanks for reading. Love you all!**

**~PG22**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello strangers! I've missed you all! I'm back again with some more Pepperony for all of you. I'm so happy at how well-received this story was at first and how loyal you all have been in my writing slump. I've been really busy with personal stuff... it's a lot to process at once. But I wanted to get this out here for you guys. I think there will be one, maybe two more parts, so I do hope you stick with me as I try to write them and get them out much sooner than this.**

**Anyway, you've waited long enough. Please enjoy!**

**Usual disclaimers apply!**

* * *

Tony woke up some time later with his head in Pepper's lap to the soft sound of water dropping with a slight trickle on top of more water. He felt a cold, wet cloth being rubbed gently over his face and neck. He moaned with pleasure as he felt it pass over his flushed, hot skin. He didn't remember falling asleep, just Pepper feeding him ice chips to try to cool and hydrate him and whispering to him softly while a nuclear fire burned inside him and turned all his thoughts to ash. But he must have dozed off sometime between then and now.

Pepper's hands were gentle and her caresses light so as not to hurt or wake him. He had fallen asleep half-sitting after swallowing down a little water. It had truly been a pitiful sight while the moments leading up to that had been a personal hell for her, seeing him so weak, so vulnerable, and so hopelessly sick. Pepper had taken it upon herself to slide him down into a more comfortable position, separating the tangled sheet from the comforter and smoothing them both over his shivering body. But after a few moments of watching him suffer, she decided action needed to be taken. She had gotten the bowl of water and the cloth, moved Tony's head to her lap, and spent the next hour or so attempting to soothe his fever.

"Pepper?" He asked, his voice slurring slightly. He was having trouble focusing. Everything was hazy.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to wake you. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck," he murmured, "and then it backed up over me for good measure."

"So like you're sick then," Pepper summarized. "That sounds about right." He opened his mouth to speak again, but suddenly was taken by a coughing fit, punctuated by a few wet and wrenching sneezes that only served to irritate his pounding head. He groaned. She winced to hear how awful he sounded.

"How's the stomach?" She asked, eyeing him nervously.

"Oh, you know," he said sarcastically, his words like venom. "Right as rain. If by rain you mean swallowing acid."

"That bad, huh?" She asked. He glared at her. "What hurts?" Pepper asked gently, unfazed by his irritability. Tony's sharp expression meanwhile faltered and fell at her words.

"Everything," He responded miserably, his voice muffled and congested. She took a few deep breaths. He was going to be fine, she reassured herself.

"It's just a cold," she said, trying to make him feel better. "It'll be over sooner than you know." But he was unconvinced that a little rhinovirus could do all this to him; so was she. He felt her pass the cloth over his forehead again and shut his eyes, leaning towards the cool touch.

"I'm going to go get you some water," she said tenderly, laying the cloth to rest. "Hold on just a minute. I'll be right back." Tony zoned out for a second as she left, only to end up leaning over the bed, grabbing the trashcan, and retching painfully into it once again. He heard Pepper gasp upon returning to the bedroom. She rushed over to him, grimacing. He felt something cool and wet wipe his mouth, and he groaned.

"Oh my God," he moaned. "I'm never doing this again, Pepper. I swear to God, from now on I'll do whatever it takes to never get sick again. This is miserable."

"Shh," Pepper said. "You know as well as I do that it's never going to happen. It'll work for a day, maybe two. And then you'll be right back downstairs in your damn lab living on nothing but coffee and the smell of motor oil for days at a time. Right, JARVIS?"

"Miss Potts is correct," JARVIS piped up, as always, right there to answer her at the worst times. "Records show that you've done the same thing the last three times you've become ill."

"JARVIS, do me a favor and back me up just once, will you? Even if it means lying?" Tony groaned, closing his eyes and resting his head against Pepper's arm. Her skin was cool and comforting.

"That would be against my morals, sir," JARVIS quipped.

"Morals?" Tony demanded weakly. "Really? You're a freaking robot."

"Be nice," Pepper said, trying to suppress a grin. "Both of you."

"He started it," Tony mumbled under his breath as Pepper pressed the glass of cold water in his hands.

"Drink that," she instructed, ignoring his childishness and carefully sealing the trash bag, sending it down the chute as she'd done with so many others recently. "It'll help lower your fever." Tony was well past the point of arguing and took a few sips, his hands slipping over the wet condensation. It was icy and hit his stomach hard, causing the cold to spread internally and make him shiver. Pepper sat down next to him on the bed and rubbed his back soothingly. She had noticed his lack of protest and was very pleased. "There you go," she said. "See, isn't this easier than arguing with me?"

"Shut up," Tony mumbled, handing the glass back to her and coughing harshly into his fist. Pepper set the water back on the nightstand and urged him to lie back down, her hands gently pushing him back down onto the mattress and bringing the blankets up under his chin. He coughed a few more times and turned his watery, bloodshot eyes to meet hers. "Thanks," he rasped. "You take such good care of me."

"Yep," she said, smiling gently at him. "It's in the job description."

"Is that why you're doing it?" He asked. The look in his eyes was suddenly serious and almost… vulnerable. And that's when Pepper realized with a start why such a quip could cause such a reaction. He usually knew she was kidding when she said things like that. But she remembered the few stories she'd been told about his childhood, how his parents weren't often there for him, how people cared for him only because they had to, not because they really wanted to. It sounded like a rough time from what she was told. And past that, he'd been the only one around and had had to take care of himself. She should have known better than to say things like that, especially at a time like this. He looked hurt, she realized. Her hand found his feverish face and she caressed it gently.

"Of course not," she murmured softly. "That's not what I meant. I'm here because I care about you, you know that." Tony nodded, his eyes growing hazy and distant, as if he were lost in deep thought.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah. I know." He closed his eyes. She brought her legs up underneath the blankets and slid down into a lying position, wrapping her arms around him tenderly. He still looked upset and foggy.

"It's okay, Tony," she tried to reassure him. When she received no response, she sighed. "You should sleep." She snuggled closer to him and immediately felt him tense up.

"You know, you don't have to stay with me… if you don't want to," he murmured softly. Pepper's heart ached at his words.

"Of course I want to!" She said, surprised. "Tony… come on. That was just a joke."

"For the longest time, it wasn't though," he said dreamily, almost as if he was talking to himself. It was strange to hear him speak this way.

"I know," she said softly. "You told me. It was a thoughtless remark and I'm sorry."

"There was this nanny I had once," he continued on as if he hadn't heard her. Pepper realized he was hazy from the fever and probably didn't even realize he was speaking, or, if he did, he probably wasn't even speaking to her anymore. She ran her fingers through his hair gently and remained silent.

"Well… more than one, but this one sticks out in my mind. She… stayed with me when I was sick once," he went on. "While my father was busy with this or that. And mom too. She was paid well, obviously. But she didn't want to be there. I knew as well as she did that she didn't want to be there. You can just tell, you know?" His deep, yet dull, brown eyes locked on to her pools of crystal blue. She realized that maybe he was more alert than she had previously thought. "It was her job, not something she wanted to be doing."

"Oh, Tony," Pepper breathed, continuing to slip her fingers through his unkempt hair and pulling him closer to her. "You know I'd never do that. You _know_ that. I care about you. And I'm here right now because of that, not because I have a contract or work for you." He bowed his head, burrowing slightly into her shirt as if he was a child seeking out his mother's comfort.

"I'm just so used to that place," he said with a small shudder, his words muffled by her shirt front.

"Shh," Pepper soothed. "It's just the fever talking. You're not going back to that place. I won't let you." He seemed to relax a bit at her words. "Sleep," she told him. "I'll be right here when you wake up." She felt him nod against her. He didn't want to fight the fatigue anymore. He was exhausted and half-delirious with fever. It took him a few seconds to find a comfortable position, and he fell back asleep in her arms.

Pepper worked tirelessly as he slept, soothing him by rubbing his back in small, rhythmic circles and sponging the sweat off his face and neck with the lukewarm washcloth at regular intervals. He moaned in his sleep, muttering a few words here and there. Pepper caught her name a few times, as well as "mom" and "dad." It sounded like he was pleading for something, calling out to these people in his subconscious, overheated mind. Pepper bit her lip as he did, hoping it didn't spawn another full-blown night terror. Thankfully, this dream seemed to be relatively calm and he remained somewhat peaceful.

She got up for a few minutes to stretch her stiff muscles and decided to make something for him to put in his stomach. She thought of Jell-O and soup first, so that's what she set off to the kitchen to make. She unearthed a packet of red Jell-O from inside the bar, probably from the last time Tony had made Jell-O shots. Making the gelatin took no time at all, and she had it in the fridge within moments. She then brought some water to boil and began making some good, old-fashioned chicken noodle soup for him to eat when he woke up.

She was just beginning to get lost in thought when she heard a whimper and Tony's voice from the bedroom. She waited a moment, standing stock still and straining her ears to listen. She heard his voice again, but couldn't make out the words from her position. With a few final, hasty stirs to the boiling pot, she shut off the burner and went to his room to investigate.

Tony was curled in on himself for warmth, a stray lock of hair fallen right between his eyes. He was shuddering and whimpering. Softly, he continuously murmured her name, as if calling to her for something. Carefully, she moved toward him and touched his shoulder.

"Tony?" She murmured gently, shaking him lightly to try and rouse him. "Tony, wake up. You're just dreaming. I'm right here." She pushed the lock of hair back behind his ear, ignoring how warm he was for the moment. She could deal with that later. It took a few moments, but finally, he began to stir.

"Pepper?" He whimpered, blinking blearily up at her, still halfway in his dream.

"Shh," she said, perching once again next to him on the edge of the bed and raking her fingers through his hair. "Yeah. It's me. I'm right here."

"Had a… weird dream," he mumbled, still half-asleep and very much groggy.

"I know," she said. "It's okay."

For Tony, the room was spinning. The walls moved with the walking pattern of dozens of giant fire ants on them. He blinked again, and this time they were wearing patterned party hats. He looked away from the walls. They made his head hurt. His whole body was on fire. The air in the room was shimmering. He could tell something was not quite right.

"'M tired," he murmured closing his eyes. "'M gonna sleep some more."

"Okay," Pepper whispered, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. She regretted waking him up, but was glad his dreams had moved from frightening to just "weird." Her hand moved up to his forehead again. He was still warm. The fever wasn't breaking; if anything, it was getting worse. She sighed and curled up next to him. Food could wait until he was more awake and alert. Instead, she lied next to him, rubbing comforting circles into his back and listening to the sound of his laborious breathing and pounding heart.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter - it was one of my favorites to write. Love you all, thanks for sticking with me. As always, your reviews are treasured. I love to know what you guys think.**

**Ciao for now!**

**~PG22**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Oh my God, guys, I am so sorry! Things have been absolutely nuts and I had to take a writing hiatus, but I missed you all so much, and every one of your reviews came and reminded me why I needed to get back to this!**

**And so here I am!**

**I decided that, in honor of all of you who stuck with me for so long even after it seemed I'd never pick up again, I'm going to do what I do best and turn this into a longer fic than I originally planned. You guys deserve it. I also, for those of you who are familiar with my other stories, will be picking up "I Am Here" once again. I finally figured out how to make that work, and I will be doing some editing and starting again with that one too.**

**I've really missed this and everyone. Thanks to those of you who have kept with me and kept on reviewing. You are what inspired me to continue.**

**Also, I will be seeing Iron Man 3 this week, and that will really boost me back up I am sure. Expect much more of this story, and expect it much sooner.**

**This is a more transitional piece to get me back into the habit of writing fanfic rather than novels or roleplay threads. I apologize if it sucks, but I think it turned out well. I am not good at writing Happy because I really never tried, so that's a new thing for me as well that I hope went okay!**

**I love you all, and I will delay you no further!**

**Enjoy! Usual disclaimers apply.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

Pepper woke first and found Tony stuck to her by sweat. She looked and felt like a wreck. Her clothes were entirely wrinkled now and plastered to her body with his heat. Her hair was all over the place – she could just feel it flying in all directions out of her bun. She was tempted to just take it down and put it in a messy ponytail, but not at the moment. It didn't seem important enough to bother with at this point. Instead, she worked on extracting herself from Tony's side and stood, careful not to jostle him too much and wake him. She glanced at his face. He looked worse than before, fragile, his skin a pale, chalky white, his lips pale too. His cheeks were flushed a rosy pink. He seemed peaceful enough asleep this time. She brushed his hair back out of his face with a gentle palm, trying to ignore the sickly, dangerous heat he was exuding, and went into the bathroom to change her clothes into something a little lighter and more comfortable. She felt fresher and cleaner as soon as she did. She also fixed her hair and splashed some cool water on her face, both to clear away the sweat and to cool herself off.

With Tony still asleep, she moved down to the kitchen where she heated up the soup again and ate a bowl of it, her hunger finally catching up to her. As she ate, she worried, as was usual for her. "JARVIS," she murmured, "do a scan, what's his temperature?" The AI silently scanned his master's body and then reported back to Pepper.

"One hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit," he stated, like he was telling the weather.

"It's getting worse," she groaned, putting her head in her hands and rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Might I suggest seeking medical attention, Miss Potts?" JARVIS said softly. "Despite how Sir feels about it, his internal temperature is reaching dangerous levels." Pepper slowly raised her head, stretching her arms forward over the table.

"I know, I know," she said with a sigh. She'd have to, eventually, she knew. Tony was sick as a dog, and even if it meant defying his wishes, she knew he needed to see a doctor. It was the safe and professional thing to do. But could she take his anger with her because of it, she asked herself. Suddenly, she heard the sound of violent retching coming from upstairs in Tony's room and she rubbed her temples. That answered that question. "Hey, JARVIS, can you run a diagnostic scan for me?" She asked, picking up her bowl and bringing it to the sink. She then headed to the bedroom as quickly as she could without tripping over herself.

Tony was clutching the trash can in both hands, which were shaking so hard she worried he might tip the bucket over onto himself. He was beet red over his grey pallor, and beads of sweat were cropping up on his brow and sliding down the back of his neck. He looked dazed, and he shivered hard in the absence of so many blankets.

Pepper was at his side immediately, steadying the can with one hand and stroking his hair back with her other. He whimpered, looking up at her with pain and confusion in his eyes. "Shh," she murmured gently, pulling her fingers through his fringe. "Shh, Tony… it's alright." He moaned in reply, coughing over the can and dry heaving hard. Pepper closed her eyes.

"I'm taking you to see a doctor right now," she murmured to him. "This is only getting worse." Tony didn't even have the strength to protest he was feeling so awful. He could barely speak. He put the can aside and gripped his stomach with his hand, doubling over. It hurt like hell. He sat like that for a moment, trembling, in what he considered to be the worst pain of his life. His stomach ached and churned away. His neck and back were sore and stiff. There was still a rough pounding in his head, and it was so cold in this room. Pepper watched him closely, moving a hand to touch his face. To Tony's overheated forehead, she was like ice. She gently ran a finger down his flushed, pinked cheek.

"Hurts," he croaked miserably.

"I know," she murmured. "We'll get you to a hospital, get you looked at." She took the can from him silently and sealed the bag shut, sending it once again out of the room. She picked up the lukewarm cloth from the nightstand and dabbed at his lips with it. They were dry and cracked. She didn't want him dehydrating, so she traded the cloth for the glass of water, now also lukewarm, and brushed it against his lips. "Come on… drink this," she said anxiously. Slowly, reluctantly, he sipped at it and then rested his head on her shoulder.

"It's hot," he complained. His breathing became rapid and irregular, like he was starting to panic. "Don't send me back into the desert, oh God, not again," he whimpered. "I won't build it… just kill me. Please… not another cave." Pepper bit her lip anxiously.

"Tony, I'm not sending you to the desert," she promised, holding him closer to her. "Relax…. I'm right here. I'm going to take you to see a doctor, okay? They'll do something about the heat. I promise."

"No," he groaned. He had barely heard her. "Don't… don't cut me open again…." Pepper realized too late that he was having memories of Afghanistan.

"No, Tony, no one's going to cut you open," she promised. "We're just going to see what's wrong. That's all." He shivered harder and pressed up against her. Her body was warm, and though he had a high fever, it felt good to be next to her. He cuddled up close, his eyes closing comfortably like he was too exhausted to keep them open. She wondered if he had even been fully awake. She eased him back onto the pillow and tucked the blankets tightly around his shaking frame. He curled up pitifully immediately and coughed. Pepper sighed, running her fingers through his hair once more.

"Diagnostic scan complete," JARVIS chirped. "My scan indicates that Sir is displaying symptoms of the Influenza Virus Type B and possible dehydration."

"That's it?" Pepper asked, incredulous. "The flu?"

"Yes, Miss Potts," JARVIS responded. "A rather nasty case. Sir hasn't had any other form of illness since," there was a pause as JARVIS sifted through Tony's medical records, "freshman year of high school."

"I'm still taking him to see a doctor," Pepper said, more for herself than anything else. She gazed down at Tony. His eyes were clenched shut. He looked absolutely miserable, even in sleep. Pepper slowly rubbed his back, knowing how much that always seemed to comfort him. She needed to get him to the hospital and fast, before he got any worse.

Tony's head was spinning meanwhile with awful visions of people he loved being mutilated and killed because of his own stupidity. And each time he was forced to stand on a stage and be ridiculed and berated by the rest of the country. _You're an idiot_, they said, and they sounded strangely like his father, or like the voice in his own head. _You suck. You can't protect anyone or anything. It should have been you who died._

He began thrashing around a little, whimpering, moaning, but not waking. He couldn't wake himself up from this hell. Awake he hallucinated about Afghanistan. Asleep, he had nightmares of the death and destruction he would likely cause in his lifetime. There was no happy medium, no balance. Pepper noticed his twitching and sporadic movement and tried to calm him. She was really worried now.

"JARVIS, call Happy," she said. "Right now. Tell him to come over here with the car. Tony needs to see a doctor." She bit her lip, smoothing his hair, wiping the back of his neck off with a fresh towel, trying to stay calm. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm really sorry about this, Tony, but this is your health we're talking about. I'm not just going to sit here and watch you suffer and kill yourself over it." She tried to calm down, her voice having risen an octave or higher with her anxiety. It was just the flu. And maybe a little bit of dehydration. He was going to be okay. He'd live. But still she worried. A fever of 104 degrees was dangerous, and she knew that any higher could result in serious brain damage or death anyway. Forget how Tony felt about doctors – he could become severely dehydrated and die without one.

She focused now on keeping him comfortable and cool while waiting for Happy to show up with the car. She swiped the cloth over his face, neck, and chest where she could, draping it over the back of his neck and trying to ignore how hard he shivered between moans and outcries of unintelligible things. He was clearly in the throes of another nightmare. She tried to soothe him out of it, but her words and rubbing and gentle gestures were immediately drowned in his flood of yelps and whimpers and babbling. This fever was ruthless. It was to the point where Pepper resorted to shaking his shoulder roughly and calling his name.

"Tony," she murmured softly, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead. "Tony, baby, wake up…. You can sleep in the car. C'mon. I'm here. You're okay… nothing's going to hurt you." Still nothing. Tony's pleas and whines became louder, more terrified. The threat he was seeing must've been more immanent, she decided. She slapped his cheeks firmly but gently, trying desperately to rouse him before he hurt himself.

Slowly, Tony blinked awake, looking dazed and disoriented. He glanced around spastically for a few minutes, trying to remember where he was and why. His eyes landed on her and he murmured, "Pepper?" The woman sighed in relief as soon as she heard his voice.

"Yeah… it's me," she murmured. "I'm right here. It was only a nightmare." Tony nodded slowly.

"It was… horrible," he murmured sleepily, his eyes drifting around the room almost in a trance. Pepper bit her lip.

"Tony… look at me…," she started, but trailed off. He was clearly not listening, and was almost asleep again. He was definitely delirious.

"Miss Potts," JARVIS announced. "Mr. Hogan has arrived."

"Good," Pepper said through gritted teeth, a hand pressed against Tony's forehead. "Send him up here, I need help."

"Right away," JARVIS said, and transferred the message to Happy, who immediately made his way inside and upstairs and entered the room.

"Hey, er… Pepper," he murmured, startled by Tony lying limply in the bed with Pepper beside him. "You called?"

"Yeah, hey, Happy," she said, not even looking at him. "Tony's sick – been sick since this morning. He's running a fever of one hundred and four and can't keep anything down, not even liquids. I just needed some help getting him to the hospital."

"Oh," Happy said, still staring at his ill boss, nearly openmouthed. "Yeah… I can help…. Wow, he looks… I'll be damned." Pepper pursed her lips.

"I know," she said seriously. "I've never seen him quite like this before. Help me get him to the car, will you?" Happy nodded mutely and stepped closer, hoisting Tony up with apparent ease and slinging him over his shoulder like a potato-sack. Tony didn't even stir, not one bit. Pepper bit her lip and ran ahead, going to call the elevator for them. She wrung her hands as she waited, stepping in as soon as it opened and tapping her foot impatiently until Happy joined her inside. She shut the door and pushed the button for ground level.

"So… why didn't you just call an ambulance?" Happy asked curiously. "It'd get him there faster." Pepper glared at him.

"He doesn't want me doing this," she explained tartly. "In fact, he's going to be so pissed when he wakes up. But imagine the uproar it would cause. An ambulance at Stark Tower? The press would be all over us like a swarm of bees." Happy nodded, getting it.

"I just thought, you know… it would be faster," he explained.

"Of course it would," Pepper sighed. "But it wasn't the best idea." The dissonant dinging of the elevator bell brought them both to silence and the doors slid open too slowly. Pepper stepped out with Happy right on her heels. She went straight for the glass entry doors and stepped out, opening the car door. Everything she did was fast, efficient, and fluid. Instinct won out over fear and worry. She was calm. She was collected. She was Pepper Potts for God's sake. She'd handled worse. But there was still a nagging fear that gnawed at her, keeping her on edge. Now, however, was not the best time to dwell on it, she decided as Happy brought Tony over and set him down in the back seat. His head lolled to the side and came to rest on the head cushion of the car seat. The man stared at his boss for a long moment.

"Lay him down, across the seats," Pepper said tiredly, as they both stood and stared. "No use killing his neck over this." Happy readjusted the billionaire and then shut the door. Pepper waited until traffic stopped moving and got in the other side, lifting Tony's head in order to get in, and then setting it down in her lap when she was seated and the door was shut. Happy got in the driver's seat.

"You could have gotten in up here," he pointed out.

"I know," she replied. "I want to be back here in case he starts… having nightmares again." Happy nodded knowingly and started up the engine, pulling quickly and safely into city traffic. Pepper began to stroke Tony's hair again, trying to keep him soothed and quiet. He seemed fitful, but not in a dangerous or nightmarish sort of way. Pepper thanked God for that. She gazed down at his face, muscles twitching and smoothing out at different intervals. The shadows beneath his eyes had worsened, deepened in color and size. He looked pale, breakable. Gently, Pepper wiped the sweat beading on his brow away with her shirt sleeve and chewed her lip harder, willing the car to go faster with every ounce of strength she still had.

* * *

**A/N: I am eternally grateful for all of you lovely readers. Thanks for coming back! Reviews are always so appreciated, and I promise, come hell or high water, I will be back to you much sooner with the next update. It's good to be back.**

**(Please remember also that, though this is fluff, I may add angst at will.)**

**All my love!**

**~PG22**


End file.
